1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a wireless communication system, and more particularly, to a method for designating an address of a WAP (wireless application protocol) server which can convert different data types into available data types between a wireless communication system and an Internet server in connection with a wireless communication terminal which can communicate with an Internet server.
2. Description of the Related Art
A WAP server connects an Internet server providing various information to a wireless communication system capable of receiving the information provided by the Internet server and converts different data types into available data types between the wireless communication system and the Internet server, and may provide wireless communication terminals with self-produced information.
As shown in FIG. 1, the wireless communication system usually used for communicating voice data includes wireless communication terminals 100, base stations 102, a base station controller 104, and a switching system 106.
Each of the base stations 102 manages wireless communication terminals 100 within a predetermined area.
As a wireless communication terminal 100 moves from one area to another, the base station controller 104 selects an appropriate base station 102 for the wireless communication terminal 100.
The switching system 106 which establishes connections between one wireless communication terminal 100 and another wire/wireless communication terminal forms a portion of a public switched telephone network (PSTN) which establishes connections between wireless communication terminals, between wire/wireless communication terminals, and between wire communication terminals.
In order to provide a wireless communication terminal with information from Internet servers by connecting the wireless communication system to the Internet server, an intermediate system for connecting them is required. The WAP server converts possibly different data and protocols into available data and protocols between the wireless communication system and the Internet server.
On the other hand, when a wireless communication terminal moves from one area to another area, the base station and the switching system which manage the wireless communication terminal must be changed to a corresponding base station and switching system. Also, the WAP server managing the wireless communication terminal must be changed to another WAP server so that the wireless communication terminal can gain access to information provided by the Internet servers. Therefore, when a registered position of the wireless communication terminal is changed to another registered position, a new WAP server address must be designated.
Conventionally, the user of the wireless communication terminal directly inputs a WAP server address. In this case, a list of WAP addresses corresponding to positions of the wireless communication terminal must be previously prepared. The user directly designates a WAP server address according to the present position of the wireless communication terminal by referring to the address list. Therefore, it is inconvenient that whenever the wireless communication terminal moves from one area managed by one WAP server to another area, a new WAP server address must be designated.
To solve the above problem, it is an objective of the present invention to provide a method and an apparatus for designating a WAP server address in which, when a wireless communication terminal requests a registration, i.e., tries to access an Internet server by switching the power on, a terminal information register transfers, via a corresponding base station, answering information to the registration request and address information of a WAP managing the wireless communication terminal. In particular, when the position registration of the wireless communication terminal is changed to another position registration, the terminal information register transfers position registration changing information and address information of a changed WAP server.
It is another objective of the present invention to provide, in a wireless communication system provided with a WAP server which can convert different data and protocols into available data and protocols between the wireless communication system and an Internet server, a method of designating a WAP server address including the steps of: requesting a registration via a wireless communication terminal; confirming whether the wireless communication terminal is eligible via a switching system; and answering the registration request and simultaneously transferring the address information of a corresponding WAP server to the wireless communication terminal via the switching system, when the wireless communication terminal requesting the registration is confirmed to be eligible in the confirming step.
In addition, it is preferable that the first registered position of the wireless communication terminal and the WAP server address information are previously stored in a predetermined terminal information register.
It is preferable that the method further includes a step of deciding, using the switching system, whether the registered position of the wireless communication terminal which requests the registration is changed to another registered position.
It is preferable that the registered area of the wireless communication terminal is not changed in the deciding step, the switching system answers the registration request and simultaneously transfers the address information of a corresponding WAP server to the wireless communication terminal, and when the registered area of the wireless communication terminal is changed in the deciding step, the switching system answers the registration request and simultaneously transfers the address information of a corresponding WAP server to the wireless communication terminal.
It is preferable in the deciding step that when the wireless communication terminal is switched on and requests a registration at a place which is not a first registered position, the switching system decides that the registration area of the wireless communication terminal is changed.